HTC One mini goes official, 720p screen and UltraPixel camera in tow

Finally, this ain't a rumor, guys! The real deal has been unveiled at last. Meet the HTC One mini – a physically smaller version of the HTC One, aiming to pack as much cool as its larger sibling, but in a more compact, pocket-friendly package.

So our guess is that you're wondering how small the new smartphone really is. And it is nice that we now have the exact figures. To start, the HTC One mini comes with a 4.3-inch, 720x1280 pixel display vs the One's 4.7-inch 1080p screen. At 122 grams, the new model is also lighter, all the while being made of machine-milled metal, following in the One's footsteps. The mini isn't much slimmer than the HTC One, however, with a thickness of 9.25 millimeters at its thickest point. Thankfully, the HTC One mini's tapered sides should at least make it feel much slimmer than it is.

The HTC One mini has its processing punch delivered by a dual-core Snapdragon 400 SoC with a processor clocked at 1.4GHz. Of course, that's not as potent of a chip as the Snapdragon 600 fitted inside the HTC One, but we doubt that the smartphone's performance would disappoint. 1GB of RAM is on board, which is still okay for a mid-range device, although another gig would have been more than welcome.

HTC One mini

HTC has chosen to put an UltraPixel camera with a 1/3" sensor size on the One mini, whether we like it or not. Our guess is that the snapper's performance would be close to that of the HTC One's camera, although there's one notable feature that has been omitted in the mini's case. In particular, the HTC One mini does not have optical image stabilization. What the UltraPixel camera does have in its feature set, on the other hand, is 1080p HDR and slow motion video recording. On the front side of the device is embedded a 1.6MP front-facing cam.

And speaking of its front, the HTC One mini has adopted the One's frontal stereo speakers. Moreover, each of them has its own dedicated amplifier, delivering rich, clear, distortion-free audio. Naturally, Beats Audio is on board with its clever audio enhancement tech.

If having a microSD card is a must for your needs, then you might want to look away now. While the HTC One mini does have 16GB of on-board storage, which is still alright, there is no way of expanding it with a microSD card. The built-in, non-removable battery has an okay, if not rather small-ish capacity of 1800mAh.

As for the software part of the equation, the HTC One mini will come running Android 4.2, which is the newest version available to date. The interface will be heavily modified, of course, by layering the HTC Sense UI on top of it, presented in its latest form. HTC BlinkFeed will also be on board, instantly providing the user with relevant information from social networks and across the internet.

The HTC One mini is projected to launch in select markets in August and we sure hope it won't face any delays as the One did. Then in September, the smartphone should become available globally. At this time, only two color variants of it have been announced, named Glacial Silver and Stealth Black. Pricing has yet to be specified.

6. HTC One (left) vs HTC One mini (right)

London, July 18, 2013 — HTC, a global leader in mobile innovation and design, today announced the HTC One mini, a compact version of the award winning HTC One, which has redefined the smartphone experience with revolutionary technologies including HTC BlinkFeed™, HTC UltraPixel Camera™ and HTC BoomSound™.

Available in 181 countries and across more than 583 networks worldwide, the HTC One has proven to be an unprecedented success across the globe, receiving multiple industry accolades since launch and increasing the company’s brand awareness with young consumers to an all-time high of 87%. The number of consumers intending to own an HTC in the next six months has also doubled as a result with the HTC One being recommended by 94% of owners.

Answering the call of consumers who want the best in mobile technology in a body that slips easily into a pocket, the HTC One mini heralds an exciting period for the company, as it builds on its platform of innovation leader. Distilling the iconic design of the HTC One, this new addition to the family combines a 4.3” display and powerful dual-core 1.4 GHz processor. It also runs the latest version of Android with HTC Sense®, bringing HTC’s flagship mobile experience to style-seekers who demand premium looks and performance.

“We are proud to be behind the market’s leading smartphone and now, with the addition of the HTC One mini, the best smartphone family in the world.” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corporation. “The HTC One mini embodies everything that makes the HTC One a success on a smaller but equally eye-catching scale.”

An object of desire

Sporting a sharp and vivid 4.3” High Definition 720p screen, the HTC One mini boasts HTC’s unrivalled design credentials. Available in Glacial Silver and Stealth Black, its striking aluminium unibody, slim profile and tapered edges both look incredible and feel great in the hand.

HTC BoomSound: mobile sound changed forever

The HTC One revolutionised the smartphone audio experience with HTC BoomSound’s dual frontal stereo speakers. Powered by dedicated amplifiers to deliver less distortion and finer detail, the HTC One mini offers the same huge sound, delivering the raw power that will put you and your friends at the heart of the action, whether listening to music, watching videos or playing games. Beats Audio™ integration takes immersive audio to the next level, guaranteeing the best listening experience available on a mobile phone.

HTC BlinkFeed: Your favourite content all on one screen

The HTC One mini puts your favourite content at the centre of your mobile world. Transforming the home screen into a single live stream of relevant information, HTC BlinkFeed delivers social updates, news updates and photos directly to the place you need them most. Aggregating the freshest content, with more than 10,000 feeds served up daily from the most relevant and interesting sources, all the information you need is available at a glance, without the need to jump between multiple applications and websites.

HTC UltraPixel Camera with HTC Zoe and Video Highlights

Never miss a moment with HTC’s revolutionary camera experience powered by the stunning UltraPixel Camera and featuring HTC Zoe. Capturing 300 per cent more light than traditional smartphone camera sensors, HTC’s UltraPixel camera captures photos in incredible detail and enhanced dynamic range, even in low light. HTC Zoe also brings special moments to life in three-second videos, enabling a range of advanced editing capabilities and creative flexibility.

With the ability to take awe-inspiring images and amazing self-portraits on the 1.6MP front-facing camera, you won’t want to keep them to yourself. Watch your photos come to life in a living, breathing gallery and share special events with visually stunning 30-second shows, created automatically by Video Highlights – no professional editing software or skill required. Simply select your own soundtrack from one of the pre-loaded themes or from your personal music library, before sharing your videos online for everyone to enjoy.

Global Availability

The HTC One mini will be available in select markets from August and rolled out globally from September.

About HTC

Founded in 1997, HTC Corp. (HTC) is the creator of many award-winning mobile devices and industry firsts. By putting people at the center of everything it does, HTC pushes the boundaries of design and technology to create innovative and personal experiences for consumers around the globe. HTC's portfolio includes smartphones and tablets powered by the HTC Sense® user experience. HTC is listed on the Taiwan StockExchange (TWSE: 2498). For more information, please visit www.htc.com. For more information on HTC BlinkFeed’s content partners, visit the HTC Blog.

I (personally) think that viewing angles is the stupidest thing they can compare between smartphones. People say "that works when you want to show something to your friends". I don't buy a friking phone to "show things to my friends, I buy it to use myself.

so Xperia ZR have great display, and the only problem with Xperia SP is mediocre viewing angle. but Xperia SP still have other great things to offer like more powerful Cpu and Gpu, sensitive screen, bigger battery, customizeable notification light effects, sd card, and Xperia SP also have great build quality.

But Xperia ZR will crush HTC One Mini because ZR have great display with good contras, brightness and viewing angle, quad core S4 pro Cpu and adreno 320 Gpu, bigger and removeable battery, sd card, better camera, water and dust resistant

I dont know about zr, but Don't even think about Sony's sp dude! Have bought it for my brother, it has 3 unforgivable problems: screen has horrible viewing angles, and by that I don't mean any extreme angles. The WiFi reception is extremely poor, and its a known issue for all the owners. Last but not least, camera is good for nothing, not as good as 5mp cameras of 2 years ago!!!! Have never had such dissappoint ing issue with my HTC phones

Sorry HTC, but the S4 mini is better than this, imo.
It's got an sd card slot(a major advantage), and is truly featherweight, even more compact, has more RAM and a bit more powerful processor.
The battery endurance seems excellent too, judging by the GSMArena test

I think the ZR isn't exactly a downgraded variant of Z. It's more like a variant of Z with lower res smaller screen, lower memory, and worse design and adding more water resistance. Usually a downgraded phone will have worse processor.

OK, so finally we see the actual specifications, and it turns out that the M4 will be just a standard mid-range smartphone.
Without the optical stabilizer, there's no point in buying a phone with an underperforming camera. RAM is just standard for the mid range. I don't like Samsung, but the S4 mini has 1.5GB, and higher cpu frequency and better camera. The M4 will have a better screen and the dual speaker design. But surely it's not the "high-end phone squeezed in a smaller body" that we were expecting, and at this point I'll wait for the Moto X or the new Nexus, or the 3,5'' Acer Liquid ZX. Good bye HTC and thank you for letting us dream for a couple of months. :)

So the new stupid trend started by Samsung is to create conventional mid rangers and name them flagship-mini. Sorry but real mini versions would downgrade only size, not all the spec list. S3 mini, S4 mini and now One mini are just marketing terms for their normal mid rangers, nothing more. Even the similar design doesn't make a device a true mini, it's just family identity.

It seems like people have forgotten the old Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 mini and Nokia N97 mini. As far as I remember these are the first minis I have ever known (May be there's a mini before these) but S3 mini is not the first mini.

I'm not understanding why the smallish battery. even mid range phones should have at least a 2000 mah battery. samsung got a bit closer with 1900 mah, but gave 1.5gb of RAM. I guess once we see the pricing, then we can really determine if it's worth looking at. I'm guessing at subsidized pricing, $149.99. smart money would put it at $99.99, but we will see.

Well guys, i don't get it...some comments really don't make any sense. First of all I would like to say this is a great device, but also, might be a large fail for HTC and I will explain why. Main criteria for buying a mini device is compactness, followed with decent specs. HTC one mini fails on the very first criteria, although it has great specs. This phone is not mini at all, just look at it, its almost the same size S3/S4 is so a lot of ppl wouldn't consider mini, yet downgraded ONE with a bit smaller size. Putting the size on the side, it has almost all specs lower that S4 mini (CPU, RAM, battery, camera, no removable battery, no sd slot), yet very few advantages such as looks and screen. Although it has better screen, this could also be a disadvantage since it is a lot more power demanding than qhd screen, and having in mind smaller battery than S4 mini, it is clear S4 mini will outperform ONE mini in this segment by far, and the qhd full rgb matrix SAMOLED screen is great although its not 720p. Maybe its outdated according to the 2013 flagships, but if I consider my S2 still a great phone with a great screen for my needs, which has even lower res. Not to mention SAMSUNG updates (at least one major update) and HTC updates (nonexistent except flagships). Having all this in mind, it comes only to looks, and we can say speakers. From all that we may conclude that S4 mini will sell far better coz it has all the mini range buyers want. Great CPU, GPU, RAM, battery, camera, software support, removable battery and SD slot. HTC will succeed in this case only if priced a lot cheaper which I highly doubt so as a competition to S4 mini i can see only SONY XP V, but in that battle its also matter of preferences. If someone can prove me wrong I would be glad to listen:) That's just my observation made following common sense.

The perfect phone for me is now... meh. No IR Blaster (I would LOVE to con-troll everything with it!) No OIS (and I really need a stabilizer) and many other features that were cut from the big One to fit on the mini... oh well, gotta wait to see what Apple has for me, as I'm not buying the plastic S4 mini (seriously, the S-apps, save one or two, ARE a kind of bloatware, from which I can't escape, and TouchWiz

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